


The First Time

by nimbuspixie



Category: DCU (Animated), Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Miscommunication, Spitfire - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 18:11:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2238564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nimbuspixie/pseuds/nimbuspixie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time they meet, they blow up in each other's faces. Figuratively, of course</p>
            </blockquote>





	The First Time

**Author's Note:**

> In keeping with the title, this is my first time putting up a piece of writing for people to read, so any comments and criticisms would be greatly appreciated!

The first time they meet, they blow up in each other's faces. He's still reeling from the departure of Speedy and at that time, replacing him so quickly was just rubbing salt in the wound. So maybe he was still in a pissy mood, because _dammit_ , he, Speedy and Nightwing had been close. They had bonded over their stints as sidekicks when they were kids, when Kid Flash and Robin were still their monikers. It was supposed to be the three of them against the world. The frustration had been building for awhile, and when she showed up, he couldn't help but lash out at her. It felt natural at the time, and it felt good - therapeutic, almost. Taking his anger out on someone had been inevitable, but the fact that she was the one he lashed out on was just unfortunate.

He maintains that she started it - the slightly condescending tone of her voice as she asked who he was and what his powers were was enough to set him off. He couldn't help it if he was in his civvies at the time- a simple shirt and jeans _(he may or may not have forgotten the memo sent out about the new girl coming in that day, and identities are generally kept secret until newbies prove themselves)_ but she was not, wearing a cowl that covered half her face and a top that bore the symbol of an arrow. She was holding a bow and had a full quiver strapped to her back, but he didn’t buy her story as Green Arrow's niece for a second - he was pretty sure that the only thing they had in common was blonde hair, a penchant for green, and archery. He was and still is suspicious of her timing: just after the induction of the latest batch of leaguers; he sure as hell doesn't remember her name being brought up at any of the league meetings and contrary to popular belief, he does pay attention at those things. Most of the time.

The sarcastic "Does she even know how to use a bow" slips out before he can help it. It’s his thing, blurting things out before he can process them sometimes. After all, get used to going faster than a mile a minute and sometimes you forget that your brain doesn't always follow. The rest of the league is fairly used to his blunt, bordering on crass remarks - he usually apologises afterwards when he crosses the line. After all, his parents had the manners thing drilled into his head as a kid, and at least the members of the league understand that he doesn't always mean what he says - his mouth just gets ahead of him. His brain can deal fine with scientific theorems and complex calculations just fine, but sometimes it feels like that ability came at the cost of his brain-to-mouth filter.

The new girl, however, doesn't know this; she blows up right back in his face. She doesn't know that the best way to deal with him is to let him blow up and cool off as he goes, and her talking back definitely doesn't help his temper. She bites off a scathing retort, insulting his standing in the team like he’s some wannabe if he’s not taking this seriously enough since he’s strolling around in civvies. She doesn't realise who he is at the time because of the secret identities and all, but she later groans in frustration when she finds out that she's already managed to antagonise one of the league's most senior members.

Her grey eyes flash at him in anger and despite the angry exchange, he can't help but notice her midriff-baring uniform and her mane of blonde hair. He thinks that it's a pity a body like hers is wasted on such a harpy and before he can stop himself, his brain has forgotten to filter his mouth again. The alarmed stares of his teammates and the affronted glare of the archer tell him that he's accidentally voiced his thoughts, and his internal groan is more for the fact that he'll have to face the music sooner or later and apologise to the harpy than for the fact that he acted like a complete misogynist.

To her credit, the archer just narrows her eyes and stalks off, muttering obscenities under her breath about chauvinistic pigs being present no matter where you go. The poor sap assigned to show her around, one of the Lanterns, chases after her, offering apologies and half-formed excuses on his behalf. He, on the other hand, heads towards the zeta tubes, all the while talking to himself about wannabe archers and how the league is taking anyone in these days.

It doesn't help that he runs into Roy right after he steps out of the zeta tubes back on earth. He goes into a tirade about the dropping standards of league inductees and how replaceable the league seems to think they are. Roy doesn't react in the way he expects, but then again he doesn't really know what to expect any more - he sure as hell didn't expect Roy to leave the League in the first place. Roy narrows his eyes and mostly shrugs it off, saying that he's left the league behind him for good. 

Something at the back of his mind tells him he wanted Roy to be as offended as he is that another archer was coming on board as a replacement right after the departure of Speedy.

He wants Roy to angry enough to storm back into the league and take his rightful place there.

He wants Roy to not have left in the first place.

He wants things to stay the way they were, with Roy up in the Watchtower and not some blonde harpy all dressed in green taking his place.

Everyone around him knows that his tendency to blurt out whatever first comes to mind is one of his weaknesses, but they also know that his unfailing loyalty is one of his strongest points. Some of the leaguers in the know had predicted that he wouldn’t react well to the newest archer on the team, but no one could have predicted the sparks between them and the explosion that followed.

* * *

 

Her name is Artemis, and he can't help but wonder what human is arrogant enough to base her moniker on a goddess, and he definitely knows that apologising is not something he's looking forward to.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been stuck inside my head for over a year now, and there's a document filled with ramblings, some just a few lines about a situation, others pages long. I was moaning the abrupt end of the Young Justice cartoon, and I only wish it could have had the run that the Justice League cartoon did, even though YJ had so much more potential (and way better charcter designs) 
> 
>  
> 
> Either way, this chapter was the first that came to mind, and the first chronologically in the rough, half-formed story in my head, an AU where the they're all in the Justice League.


End file.
